


love drought

by BriMarie



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxious Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Confused Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Don’t worry neither Ricky or Nini are the toxic ones, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Hurt and comfort, Nini is an angel in this, Ricky Bowen Needs A Hug (HSMTMTS), Ricky Bowen-centric (HSMTMTS), Sad Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Soft Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), high school musical the musical the series - Freeform, hsmtmts, rini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28731462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMarie/pseuds/BriMarie
Summary: Love is patient, love is kind. Love is supposed to bring you peace of mind. But be careful because the one you love can be the devil in disguise. If only someone told him that sooner.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	love drought

**Author's Note:**

> **This is about a toxic and abusive relationship, so if that’s a trigger for you please skip this.**

Ricky was a very happy person.

If you were to walk by him, you’d think he’s just your average joe. Probably has a normal job, maybe a girlfriend, and a decent enough apartment. Maybe you’d assume he was happy because of the lively smile on his face that he’d showcase to the world.

He greeted everyone, even when he didn’t have to. He went above and beyond to defend his loved ones. He’s the type of guy who would do you a favor and never expect anything in return. He lit up any room he walked into.

Ricky was a vulnerable person.

It was one of his dominant characteristics, but it really only showed when he was upset or really passionate about something. He saw it as a weakness, but his closest friend, Nini, told him it made him who he was. And that he should love everything that makes him the caring person he is.

After that, he viewed it as a strength. Others saw it as a weakness.

Ricky was a trusting person.

Another one of his many qualities that sometimes could lead to bad paths. Ricky liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, stating that everyone deserves a second chance when they screw up.

Or third chances, fourth chances...fifth chances.

 _She_ knew that. 

She had been watching for a while now, taking mental notes on the man from the sidelines in their history class on Thursday’s. She finally decided to make a move when she catches him at a bar. She didn’t know he’d be here, but she sees this as a sign.

She slips into the spot beside him, orders the same drink he has (not so much of a coincidence), and introduces herself.

Mallory.

A simple name at the time. He thought it suited her beauty well. 

He didn’t know her name meant bad luck.

He didn’t know that the second he shook her hand that she’d leave a permanent mark on his life forever.

Ricky was pretty happy.

He had been seeing Mallory for a solid three months now. He’s never been so happy with someone. He spends all his free time with her. At first, they’d hang with his friends in his apartment every Friday like he always does. But Mallory didn’t really want them around, wanting to be alone with him instead. 

That was totally fine with him; it was normal to want to spend quality time together. His friends were a little upset he stopped hosting, but didn’t think much of it. Ashlyn and Gina’s place ended up being the main spot for Friday’s now. Everyone was invited and was allowed to bring a guest if they pleased.

Ricky was excited to hear that; he wishes he could say the same for Mallory. 

Mallory wasn’t very social. She’d acknowledge people if they spoke, but it was usually a nod. Mallory wasn’t a fan of his female friends. They hugged him too tight. They joked with him too frequently. They were taking his attention away from her. 

She didn’t like that.

And she _really_ didn’t like one particular friend of his.

Nina.

Her name meant gracious, strong, beautiful, and it suited her all too well.

Mallory knew that too.

Mallory would watch Ricky interact with Nini. They’d whisper cutesy things every once in a while, their hugs would linger longer than the others, and she didn’t miss when Nini played with his hair.

She _loathed_ her.

After a while, Ricky didn’t really go out much. Mallory liked to have dates inside or a little far away from town so they’re not bothered. He doesn’t see anything wrong with this.

One time, he asks her if Nini can come over. She frowns and gives him a look he’s never seen before; he admitted it frightened him a bit. She only shakes her head and says some lame excuse on why she can’t come. He accepts it.

Ricky was a little out of touch.

He’s been with Mallory for six months now. He couldn’t be happier. They spend all their time together now. He hasn’t really seen his friends, and he misses them dearly. But he doesn’t tell her that. She gets angry when he brings them up, especially Nini.

She yells at him and accuses him of not wanting to spend time with her when he asks to hang out with the guys. He listens. The last thing he wants to do is make her upset. When she’s in the shower, he takes that time to check his friend’s social media and texts.

He sees photos of them going to parks, bars, local concerts, and many of the places he used to go to. He misses it. He scrolls past a picture of Nini holding her brand new puppy. He wasn’t aware she got one. 

When he hears the shower turn off, he quickly deletes the app and shoved the phone under his pillow. He feels her enter the bed and wrap her cold arms around his frame. She places a kiss on his cheek and wishes him a goodnight. 

He says it back, but he can’t help but think of his best friend and how much he desires to see everyone. 

When he wakes up in the middle of the night, her hand was wrapped around his neck. It wasn’t too tight, but just enough where he considered possibly doing something about it. 

He didn’t want to inconvenience her despite being uncomfortable, so he stayed quiet.

He was lonely.

He’s dated Mallory for eleven months now. She’s all he has, and she loves to remind him of that. She also loved to remind him that he wasn’t doing anything around the house right. He swore he cleaned that dish until it was spotless, but it wasn’t enough for Mallory.

She’d get angry when he’d wake her up by accident when he showers. He apologizes in a whisper, scared she’ll get angry for raising his voice like last time. 

Mallory doesn’t like that he wears jeans with holes in them, so she makes them go to the mall to shop.

He doesn’t say a word as she picks out everything for him. 

Mallory doesn’t like that his hair is just brown. She tells him to get highlights to give him more character. He does what she says, learning to accept blond tips.

Mallory doesn’t like that he plays the guitar. She tells him to get rid of it. He doesn’t budge. This confuses and angers Mallory. He explains that the guitar was special since Nini gave it to him back in high school as a birthday gift.

Mallory did _not_ like that.

He’s never seen Mallory so enraged.

Mallory storms up to him and pushes him so harshly he almost tumbled to the ground. Her action confused him. She’s never done this to him before; he must've screwed up badly.

She viscously smacks his face. He feels his cheek begin to bruise. He can’t help but rub the area she struck. She snatches his guitar and breaks it by smashing it on the walls and floor. He watches helplessly as she destroys what once used to be a symbol of love, friendship, and happiness right in front of him.

He feels powerless as she tosses it to the side as if it were nothing. He desperately wants to stop her and let out the tears he was welling up, but Mallory doesn’t like when he cries. So he sucks it up.

When she claims she needs to cool off for a while, he nods. He watches her walk out their apartment, slamming the door in the process. He allows himself to cry, and he feels guilty for not just listening to her. He feels ashamed for crying like a coward. This was all his fault. If only he could turn back time.

Much later in the night, she crawls into bed and kisses his lips. She says how much she loves him and how she'd fall apart if he left her. He likes when she’s nice to him. She whispered how sorry she was a million times, waiting for him to accept her apology. 

He does.

He was lost.

He doesn’t remember a time before Mallory. It’s been a full year, and Mallory tells him it’s the happiest they’ve ever been. Today, Mallory tells him to go to the store for her. He does as told. He was excited to go out in public. He really only goes out when he goes to work or school. 

Mallory usually did the errands. She likes to be the head of the household, and he lets her. But today she wasn’t feeling well, so she had him drive to the store. He was walking down the aisle when he hears a laugh.

 _Her_ laugh.

He hasn’t heard laughing in a while. He barely remembered what it sounded like, but he knew that laugh anywhere. She appears from the corner and turns into his aisle. She notices him immediately and stares in disbelief. 

She looks the same. Same long braids on both sides of her head, bright smile, glowing skin, and a colorful dress. 

“Oh my god, Ricky?”

The sound of his name startles him. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s heard it in such a cheerful tone, and he was used to the fun nicknames Mallory has given him like “you” or “Bowen.” He wasn’t too crazy about the ones Mallory gave him when she was mad though. 

“Nini?”

Her name feels like a cuss word coming from his lips. He hasn’t been allowed to say it since the guitar incident. It felt foreign to him now.

She runs up to him and jumps on him, bringing him into a hug. He doesn’t know how to react at first. He hasn’t hugged anyone in months. Eventually, he wraps his arms around her, and it feels like home.

The moment she let go, he felt his heart drop. She takes a look at him and frowns. There’s no way this was her Ricky. This Ricky wore white sneakers instead of vans, khakis instead of ripped jeans, had blond tips, and wore button down blouses. This wasn’t him at all. This was some shadow.

“What happened to you? You kinda broke off from the group all of a sudden. We all miss you!”

He almost forgets how to speak. He hasn’t spoken to anyone except Mallory for months. “I’m sorry, but Mallory wanted to spend more time with me.”

Nini raises a brow. “Mallory huh? You still dating her?”

He faintly nods. “Yes, and I gotta get back to her. She’s sick, and I need to get her medicine. It was nice seeing you again Nini. I’ve really missed you.”

As he walked passed her, she grabbed his arm. He winces in pain causing her to let go.

“Sorry! I didn’t think I grabbed you that hard.”

He shrugs as he rubs the stinging area. “It’s not your fault.”

“I just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to catch up. Just the two of us, like old times. Maybe we can jam out with our guitars too.”

He felt a sting in his chest at the memory of that night. He scratched the back of his head. “I’d have to ask Mallory.”

Nini scoffed. “Who cares what she thinks? You’re a grown man who can make his own decisions.” She reached over and held his hand. He couldn’t ignore the electricity that when through him. “So what do you say?”

He stares at her for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He misses Nini more than anyone else in the group, and he’s been dying to catch up with her. But Mallory would be very angry if she found out.

But Mallory wasn’t here.

His lips slowly form into a smile. “Okay.”

She beams and pulls him to the counter so they can quickly purchase what they both came for before jotting out of the store. Nini had brought him back to her place to show him the renovations. He met her puppy who was named Huey. She caught him up on all of the group’s major moments that he missed out on. 

He felt a little sad when he realized just how much he misses her. He misses talking to her when he was sad, warm hugs, inside jokes, and the kind words she’d share.

When it’s time to go, she gives him a lingering hug just like she used to. He never wants it to end, but Mallory must already be wondering where he is. So he must go because he doesn’t want to anger her when she’s in such a weak state. He was already being selfish for saying yes to Nini.

When he gets home, he changes into different clothes immediately. He didn’t want to risk Mallory smelling Nini’s perfume. Mallory gazes at him suspiciously from the bed, but she doesn’t question him. 

When he goes to bed that night, he falls asleep with a faint smile on his face. 

He was feeling guilty.

Since the day he saw Nini, he’s been sneaking out to see her whenever Mallory was at school or work. He felt horrible for sneaking around when Mallory always did so much for him, but he couldn’t help it.

Nini was his kryptonite. She always has been. The second he got a taste of what it felt like to be around her again, he couldn’t let it go. They built a little schedule so they could see each other. 

Mallory worked the longest on Tuesday’s, so that became his favorite day of the week because it meant seeing Nini. 

Nini knew something was up; she’s known for a while now.

He has never been this isolated from the group before he dated Mallory. She didn’t know exactly what happened behind closed doors, but it was clearly taking a toll on him. But she didn’t know just how bad it was until something happens.

They were hanging out in her kitchen just drinking some wine she poured for them. He accidentally spills some on the floor and counter. She didn’t think any of it when it happened until she heard him begin to break down into tears.

He trembled and hid his face in his hands. He apologized ruthlessly and began backing up from her. When she raises her hand to reach out for him, he flinches and begins shivering. 

“Please...I’m sorry. I’m sorry it won’t happen again, just don’t-don’t be mad at me.”

Nini’s heart broke into a million pieces at the sight in front of her. She knew what this was for sure now. She carefully approached him and slowly removed his hands from his face.

“Ricky, can I ask you something really personal?”

He just nods. She interlaced her hands with his. “Is Mallory hurting you?”

He shakes his head a little too panicky. “No, she’s very good to me.”

“Ricky...”

“She is; I swear! Speaking of Mallory, I need to go. She’ll be back soon, and I haven’t started dinner yet. She’ll be mad at me.” He rambled.

He pulls out of her grasp and begins frantically looking for his things. 

“Ricky, calm down please.”

He doesn’t stop looking. “Where’d I put my keys?”

“Ricky, please stay.”

“She’ll get so fucking mad if I can’t find those keys again. She’ll have to go through the trouble of ordering another one like last time when I lost it. Man she was so furious.”

Nini felt tears begin to roll down her cheek. She walked up to him and touched his chest. He yelps at the action, alerting her. He internally scolds himself for letting that happen. They stare at one another, knowing it’d be hard to let that moment slide.

She walks up to him, not breaking eye contact with him. She reaches for the hem of his shirt and leisurely pulls it up. She gasped in horror at the sight. A series of marks and bruises were scattered across his torso. Some were fresh while others seemed like they could’ve happened months ago.

She sniffled. “Oh Ricky...”

He knew there was no getting out of this. He didn’t have enough time to make an excuse. “It’s-it’s not nearly as bad as it looks. Most of these are from me falling. I’m a total klutz.” He tries to laugh it off, but she’s not buying it.

“You can’t go back there.”

His fake smile drops. “I have to Neens.”

She shakes her head and rest her arms delicately on his arms, fearing she might hurt him. “No you don’t. She’s hurting you Ricky. I can’t let you go back there.”

He shakes his head. “No, I can’t leave her after everything she’s done for me. I can’t leave her; she’ll fall apart. She told me she would if I did! I can’t let her do that to herself on my watch. I just can’t.”

Nini was full on sobbing at this point. “Ricky, I want to help you. Please let me.” She cupped his face, but he pushed her off.

“I think it’s time for me to go. It was nice seeing you Nini.” He pecks her forehead before making his way to the door.

“Ricky!”

He stops but doesn’t turn around.

“When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

He doesn’t say anything. He just sighs and leaves her home. She cries her eyes out for him, hoping that one day he’ll realize the truth.

Ricky is _not_ safe.

He needs to _go_ , and _fast._

He packs random things into his overnight bag, not caring if anything matched. The bedroom door was locked, and on the other side stood a _very_ wrathful and drunk Mallory.

She had found one of Nini’s earrings stuck to one of his sweaters and all hell broke loose. He’s never seen her face so red in his life. She threw anything and everything at him that was in arms reach. Absolutely nothing was off limits.

She was yelling, cussing, and screaming all kinds of nasty words as he frantically packed. When he was done, he knew he couldn’t dare face her. She could have a knife or baseball bat waiting for him on the other side. (It wouldn't have been the first time). Good thing he lived on the first floor and that his bedroom had a window.

He quickly opened the window and hopped out before closing it behind him. He could still hear her kicking and screaming for him to come out. He got in his car and drove to the only person that would understand.

He hasn’t spoken to her in a month and wasn’t sure if her offer was still on the table, but she was all he had. When he got to her doorstep, he debated on knocking. Would she even want to see him? He wouldn’t blame her for wanting to cast him aside. After all, he was nothing but a waste of space. He’s been told that for a solid year now.

He finally finds the courage to knock on her door. He waits for a few seconds. He can hear his heart beating out of his chest in anticipation. The door swings open, and she looks up at him with both concerned and confused eyes. She wanted to breakdown when she saw the bruise under his eye and busted lip.

“I’m sorry this is last minute, but I didn’t know where else to go.”

She doesn’t waste any time as she brings him into a hug. She sobs into his chest. “You came to the right place.” She lets go of him and takes his bag. “Come on in. I have a vacant bedroom that’s calling your name.”

The moment he walks into her home, he feels relief. He followed her to his temporary bedroom where she placed his bag.

“This is where you’ll be sleeping. Stay as long as you need.”

He gives her a smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

This time he was the one who initiated the hug. He blissfully sighed as he melted into her embrace. He felt so safe in her warm and welcoming arms.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable. I want this to be a safe haven for you.” 

He buries his face in her shoulder, ignoring the stinging from his cuts. “Hold me.”

She nods. “Gladly.”

And for once, everything feels okay.

Ricky is finding himself again.

He hasn’t been back to his apartment in two months now, and he was doing a lot better. He wasn’t fully okay yet; that relationship wasn’t something you get over in 60 days.

Nini was a big help. Nini had gone over to his apartment during the hours she knew _she_ would be out to grab his things. He didn’t care if she kept all the assets, as long as he had his own personal things. _She_ had tainted everything in that place, and he didn’t want to remember any of it. He wishes to be numb.

Living with someone who didn’t yell at you for making small mistakes was weird. He had begun taking advantage of his college’s free counseling services. 

After the third month, Nini had asked if he was ready to see his old friends again. He had been embarrassed about icing them out and of his current situation, but he missed them.

Ricky eventually agreed, so she invited them over for a movie night since that was laid back. She didn’t want to overwhelm him with a loud environment since he’s not used to it anymore. No one except Nini knows why he left. He’d tell them one day, but right now he wanted to be surrounded by good people.

On the seventh month, Ricky gets the copy of his restraining order against her in the mail. She legally can never touch him again or else she faces jail time. That made him feel a little more safe, but he still feels her firm grip on his neck sometimes. The feeling started to fade a little more each day, but it was still there.

He stuffs the paper in one of the folders on his shelf. He doesn’t touch it again.

By the thirteenth month, Ricky came to terms with his growing feelings for the woman who’s been by his side through this painful transition into normalcy. He decided to tell her in the best way he knows, through song. 

He’s a little rusty since his guitar was broken over a year ago, but he still has that magic touch. It felt exhilarating to be playing again; it unlocked a part of his brain he forgot he had. He had pulled her aside after she had gotten home from work and serenaded her.

By the end of it, Nini’s crying. He panics because he keeps forgetting tears aren’t always negative until she jumps on him and kisses his lips. She professes her love for him, which through him off, but he was happy nonetheless. He smiled and smashed their lips together.

As he kisses the lovely woman in his arms, he remembers what love was supposed to feel like. Love was gracious, strong, and beautiful. Love was Nini.

 _She_ was the past, but Nini was his present and his future.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m curious if you noticed this:
> 
> Notice it turned from Ricky to he and from she to Mallory when the relationship got worse, and it turned back from he to Ricky after they split. That was intentional because you feel more like a nameless vessel than a human being when you’re trapped in toxic relationships. 
> 
> I also made sure Mallory never spoke once. I didn’t want her to have an actual voice because her voice is toxic to ears, and she doesn’t deserve to be heard. Mallory also was turned back to she because she doesn’t deserve acknowledgement.
> 
> And finally, I made sure Nini always called him Ricky. It was my way of saying she acknowledges him as a person.
> 
> I posted something about toxic relationships because one of my friends is currently in a really bad one. I wanted to show you guys the signs of an abusive one so you know when it’s time to let go of that person. Hopefully this was beneficial and that you’ll never experience something like this ever/again.
> 
> (Hella side note but happy getting that orange mf out of the office day)


End file.
